Before he competed in the Olympics, Lindland was notable for having
secured his spot on the US Olympic team through the courts. In the
finals of the United States Olympic trials, Lindland lost to Keith
Sieracki, who Lindland had accused of tripping him (under the rules
of Greco-Roman wrestling, athletes are not permitted the use of
their legs for advantage or defense of offensive moves). After
appealing, an arbitrator ordered a rematch for Lindland and
Sieracki, in which Lindland won 8-0.

The USOC however sought to keep Sieracki on the team, and appealed
in federal court. A federal district judge, then a three-judge
panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, both decided in
Lindland's favor. A request for a hearing by the USOC in the
Supreme Court of the United
States was denied, which settled Lindland's status on the
team. Lindland would later earn his nickname "The Law" from
the protracted case.

Lindland's next loss came at the hands of Falaniko Vitale, who Matt
Lindland attempted to slam, only to knock himself out in the
process. At UFC 54 Lindland was dropped from the UFC roster for
breaking one of the sponsorship and advertising-related terms of
his contract by wearing an unapproved T-shirt at the weigh-ins.
After his dismissal Lindland continued to corner fighters at UFC
events such as in B.J.Penn's bout against Georges St. Pierre. He has also continued
his professional MMA career in IFL and Bodog Fight with five wins and two losses, with
the two losses coming outside of his weightclass against the future
UFC Light heavyweight champion Quinton
Jackson and the Pride Heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko. After his loss to
Jackson, Lindland joined the International Fight League, which
also marked Lindland's debut as an IFL team coach – he fought
against top twenty middleweight Jeremy
Horn. Lindland won by TKO early in the second round. He then
beat Carlos Newton at IFL Houston by
submission. Lindland defeated Fabio Negao via unanimous
decision on July 19, 2008 at Affliction: Banned in Anaheim,
California.At Affliction: Day of Reckoning on
the 24 Jan 2009, he was defeated by Vitor
Belfort and suffered a devastating KO loss.Lindland is the
former coach of the Portland
Wolfpack in the International Fight League.

There is currently a documentary called "Fighting Politics", being
filmed about Matt and his MMA career.

On April 13, 2009, Lindland signed a three fight deal with Strikeforce and expects to be placed on the card
for their next event. He has now signed to meet top contender &
DREAM vet Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza.

Personal life and political aspiration

Matt and his wife Angie have two children, a son named James and a
daughter named Robin.